A Surprising Savior
by ConfessorRahl17
Summary: Set after For Better or Worse. A stranger rescues Castle, but what was her motive? Who is she really? What does it mean for Beckett? Everything goes downhill when Bracken gets involved. Old friends- and enemies- make special appearances. And Beckett discovers a part of herself she didn't know she had.
1. Chapter 1

**So, I've become really obsessed with Castle lately. The season finale made me bawl. So here is how I dealt with it. If you read it, I hope you like it. **

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Kate Beckett sat on his couch, his T.V. on but muted. It seemed like so long ago it had been their couch and their T.V. Beckett looked around and was reminded how much of this loft was Castles' by the hollow ache in her chest. She sighed and sat back, staring at nothing. Then the doorbell rang.

Normally, Beckett would have acted like the Detective she was, and grabbed her gun. She would have wandered who would be here this late when it was supposed to rain. She would have wondered if it was someone who worked for Bracken. Then she would have had to remind herself that he was gone. Gone. Just like him. Just like Castle.

Now, though, she numbly walked to answer the door. She numbly did everything. Beckett set her hand on the doorknob-his doorknob- and turned her hand. The door opened to reveal a girl supporting the weight of a man. But not just any man. Him.

Castle.

He was here.

Rick.

He was alive.

Castle.

Beckett stared at him. His clothes were torn and he seemed to be unconscious.

"Castle." She whispered. She left the door to go to him. The girl held up a hand.

"Stop." She ordered, and Beckett was surprised to find herself listening. The girl's voice had the ring of authority to it that Beckett often heard in her own. "I know you haven't seen him, but he's hurt. Badly. If you touch him, you might hurt him more. Do you understand?" the girl continued, and Beckett nodded.

For once, against all her better judgment, Beckett did what she was told. She didn't know why. She didn't know this girl. This girl who was holding the man she loved. Her fiancé. Beckett just wanted him to be safe.

"What do I need to do?" she asked. The girl nodded.

"We need to lay him down somewhere. Preferably a temporary place." The girl answered, peeking into the loft. Beckett stepped back.

"The couch?" she asked. The girl nodded. Beckett stepped up to Castle and lifted his free arm over her shoulders. Together the pair carried him to the couch. They laid him down, and the girl set the backpack she was wearing on the ground. Beckett glanced at the girl, and saw a stick lashed to her back. The girl reached up to flick on the light by the couch. Her shirt slid up slightly, and Beckett saw a gun poking out from under it.

_Don't panic, Kate. It's going to be fine._ She told herself. Beckett slid to her knees and brushed back Castle's hair. He was here. He was alive. He didn't move.

"I need alcohol." The girl's voice brought her back to reality. Beckett snapped her head up. The girl was staring at her. "I need alcohol to clean him. Also gauze and bandage wraps." Beckett stared. "Please. The quicker you do this, the quicker he gets better." Beckett nodded and left to get what the girl needed.

When she returned, the girl had cut Castle's shirt open. Beckett set the supplies on the floor. The girl removed Castle's shirt. There was a blood covered cloth taped to his side, just below his heart. The girl reached out and carefully pulled to tape off. The cloth stuck to his skin.

"Alcohol." The girl ordered. Beckett opened the bottle and handed it to the girl. The girl tilted the bottle and poured it on the cloth. Castle twitched and was still again. The girl gripped the cloth and pulled slightly. Beckett gasped and covered her mouth. The girl poured more alcohol on the wound. "I need the gauze." She held her hand out. Beckett just stared at Castle. "I need the gauze." She turned to Beckett. Beckett's eyes were wide and tears streamed down her face. She stood and backed away.

"He….He….He was…Shot. He was shot." Beckett cried. The girl turned and stepped in front of Beckett. Her hands gripped Beckett's upper arms.

"Hey! Hey, look at me!" Beckett tore her eyes from Castle, and settled them on the girl.

"He was shot. Is he going to be okay?" Beckett was terrified. The girl tightened her grip on Beckett.

"Detective. Detective Beckett. Listen to me. Are you listening?" she asked. Beckett nodded. "Good." The girl grabbed Beckett's chin with her right hand. She moved her head so that Beckett was looking at Castle.

"I had to listen to that man grumble about how much he loves you the entire way her. How much he loves you and how sorry he is about leaving you. I can't tell you how many times he mumbled 'Always' Just that one word. Always. How he'll always love you. Always." She removed her hand. "He's going to be fine. He just needs your help. Can you help?" She caught Beckett's eye again. Beckett nodded and wiped her eyes. "Okay. Good." The girl knelt back down by Castle. She pressed both hands against his wound and climbed to her knees.

"What do you need?" Beckett asked.

"I'm going to move my hands. Pour the alcohol on him and hand me the gauze." Beckett grabbed the bottle and the gauze. The girl moved her hands and took the gauze from Beckett. Beckett poured the alcohol on the wound. The girl pressed the gauze to his side and wrapped the bandage quickly around his body. "There. That will hold him until the ambulance comes."

"You called an ambulance?" Beckett asked, moving to Castle's side and stroking his face. The girl turned the water on in the kitchen and began washing the blood of her hands.

"No. You're going to call them when I leave." She turned the water off and dried her hands. She walked quickly back to the living room and grabbed her bag. Beckett covered Castle with the blanket from the back of the couch. She stood and walked the girl to the door.

"Thank you. For everything." Beckett said as the girl stood on the other side of the door.

"Anytime, Detective Beckett." The girl smiled, as she shouldered her bag. Beckett leaned against the door and glanced back into the loft. Castle hadn't moved. His breathing was shallow, but something inside of Beckett said that he was going to be okay. She glanced back at the girl.

"How do you know my name?" Beckett integrated. The girl laughed.

"There's no one in New York who doesn't know your name." Beckett nodded.

"Hmmm. I didn't catch your name." Beckett glanced down the hallway. The girl shifted.

"Look, I have to go. Call the ambulance. Get him to a hospital." The girl turned. Beckett's hand reached out and grabbed the girl's arm. Beckett stepped closer, blocking both the girl's weapons.

"Who are you?" she asked calmly. The girl sighed and flipped her arm over. Beckett's hand fell to her side.

"I'm just a concerned citizen, doing my civic duty." The girl said. She reached for the door and closed Beckett inside the loft.

Beckett grabbed her phone from the bar and dialed 911. She leaned her back against the couch, intertwining her fingers with his.

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**Well? I have very BIG plans for this story. Hope you enjoyed the first part. Stay tuned.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the views and reviews. I haven't had Wi-Fi lately, so here is the next chapter. Enjoy.**

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Beckett sat in a chair by his bed. They had taken him into surgery and stitched his wound. That was hours ago. Castle hadn't woken. The doctor said it was normal. Beckett just wanted him to wake up. She glanced over at Castle. His breathing was better. The doctor had told her, he wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for the alcohol that was poured on him.

Beckett hadn't told anyone about the girl yet. She would tell Esposito and Ryan soon. She had to make sure Castle was okay first. Beckett reached out and stroked Castle's face. His eyes fluttered. Beckett leaned her arms on the bed. She laid her hand on the side of his face, the other she ran through his hair.

"Castle." She whispered. His eyes fluttered again. "Rick." This time it was louder. His eyes opened partially, then closed. "Come on, Castle." She cooed. "Wake up." He shook his head slightly. It was such a Castle moment, she laughed. Castle opened his eyes and focused them on her.

"Hey." He croaked out, smiling up at her.

"Hey, babe." She answered. Beckett struggled to hold back her tears. It didn't work. She smiled at him and tears fell. Castle lifted his arm, grimaced in pain, and ran his fingers across her face.

"Don't cry. I'm all right. I'm right here. It's all going to be okay." He tried to soothe her. Suddenly a look crossed over his face. He struggled to sit up.

"Hey, take it easy. Doctor said you shouldn't move too much." Beckett tried to force him down again. The struggle must have hurt him more than he let on because he sank back into the bed.

"When," he wheezed, and struggled once again to sit up. "Have I ever listened to anyone? Not really my style." Beckett shook her head.

"Yeah, I noticed. Here hold on." Beckett gave in and lifted him into a sitting position. Castle ran a hand over his side and winced. "Babe, do you remember what happened?" she asked. She wanted to know who did this. Needed to know. Castle shook his head a bit.

"The last thing I really remember was that I called you. I was twenty minutes away. I hung up with you, and a black car pulled up beside me. After that, it's all kind of fuzzy." Castle said. He reached out his hand and grabbed Beckett's. She smiled at him.

"We found your car. It was in a ditch and it was on fire." Beckett informed him. "We thought you were dead. I thought you were dead. I thought I lost you." Beckett squeezed his hand. She shook her head. "I thought I would never see you again." She raised her head to look him in the eye.

"How could I be dead? I wasn't in the car." He asked, confused.

"There was a body in the car. Burned beyond recognition. They matched your dental records. The car was destroyed. Everything was." Castle shook his head again.

"Boy am I glad I didn't take the Ferrari." Beckett laughed, which is what Castle wanted.

"You were dead." Beckett said. She rested her hand on the side of his face again. "You were dead. Until that girl showed up at the loft carrying you." Castle stared at her.

"What girl?" he asked.

"The girl that saved you. She brought you to the loft. She fixed up your wound until the ambulance arrived." Beckett answered, cocking her head to the side.

"Beckett, there was no girl." He said slowly, clearly. Beckett shook her head.

"There was a girl. I know there was. She saved you."

"No, Beckett, I saved myself. I drug myself to the loft and you fixed my wound. There never was a girl." Castle pressed.

But Beckett knew there was a girl. She could never forget. That girl had saved Castle's life. Beckett would always owe her for that. She couldn't forget. Beckett would never forget because, in that moment, when Castle's life hung in the balance, Beckett forgot who she was. She should've taken charge, told that girl what to do. Instead, she had been the girl's assistant. And Kate Beckett was no one assistant. Beckett would fight to make it up to herself, and to Castle, what she had lost that night: a part of herself. With Castle back, maybe, just maybe, she could be the Kate Beckett everyone knew.

"Maybe you're right." Beckett lied. "I haven't slept much lately. I'm just glad you're back." Castle nodded and looked a bit relieved. Then sadness took over his features. His hand gripped hers tighter.

"Beckett…Kate. I am so sorry. I didn't want any of this to happen. I wanted our wedding to be perfect. I love you so much it hurts. And it hurts me more to know that I caused you to worry. I told you I would always be there, and I meant it. I'm just so sorry I put all of this on you." Castle apologized.

"Hey, it's okay. I know you didn't do this on purpose. I love you so much too. I know you'll always be there for me. These things happen. Especially to us." She smiled. "It's going to be okay. You just need to rest." Castle nodded and laid back on the pillows. He closed his eyes and opened them to look at her once more.

"Do you forgive me?" he asked, closing his eyes, exhaustion taking over him. She smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Always."

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**It's a shorter one, I know. I think I'm going to add the next one today too. Hope you liked it. Thanks.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is the next chapter. Maybe I won't wait so long. Oh, who am I kidding. I probably will. Enjoy.**

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Beckett pulled out her phone and dialed the number. There were three rings then a voice.

"Hello."

"Hey, Lanie." Beckett said quietly.

"Kate! How's Castle?" Lanie breathed. Beckett smiled.

"Yeah, he's fine. He's going to be fine." Lanie breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Actually Lanie I was hoping you could do me a favor."

"Of course."

"Can you call Espo and Ryan? Tell them to meet me at the loft in thirty minutes." Beckett asked, looking worriedly at Castle. He was asleep. The doctor had told her that there was nothing she could do. Still, she hated to leave him. After she had just gotten him back.

"Yes of course." Lanie answered quickly.

"Thanks Lanie. You'll be there too." It wasn't a question.

"Of course, Kate. See you soon." Beckett hung up. She ran her hand through his hair once more before placing a kiss on his forehead.

"I'll be back soon. I love you." She whispered, closing the door quietly behind her.

* * *

Beckett arrived at the loft five minutes early. She looked around, seeing the room so much clearer now. Everything was better. Right. Almost perfect. He was back. He was alive. A knock on the door signaled the arrival of the rest of Beckett's family.

Beckett barely had the door opened before they were inside. Pushing each other to get information.

"Whoa, guys. Cool it." Lanie snapped from the hall. Both Ryan and Espo stopped and let Lanie pass. Beckett smiled softly before Lanie crushed her with a hug. "Hey, girl. You okay?" she whispered in Beckett's ear. Beckett nodded against her shoulder.

"I will be." Lanie released her and smiled warmly before moving further into the loft. Esposito was next. He wrapped his strong arms around her and squeezed her.

"Yo, Beckett." Was all he said. It was all he needed to say. He was the brother she never had. Him and Ryan. Lanie her sister. They were her extended family. Espo, Ryan, Lanie, and Castle. Always Castle. She was nothing without them.

"Hey, Javi." she wrapped her arms around him. He patted her back before pulling away and wiping his face, muttering about allergies. Beckett laughed softly at him and hugged Ryan quickly. He hugged her back, not saying anything. Because that's what Ryan did.

When all the hugs and greeting were done, Beckett gathered everybody in Castle's living room. Their living room. She smiled at the thought. She stood in front of her family and took a deep breath.

"So, Castle's okay. He was shot. But he's going to be okay. He's going to be okay." She barely got it out. She had never felt so relieved. Lanie was crying. Esposito and Ryan were grinning and Beckett was actually laughing. "Guys, I thought I lost him. I thought he was dead. I thought I was going to have to go to work without him." She stopped. She couldn't go on. She thought she was going to have to live without him. She thought she was going to have to quit saying "Castle", "Rick", and "Babe." She couldn't live through that.

"Beckett, that's great." Esposito said.

"But, what else is there?" His partner finished. Both stared intently at her. She sighed.

"Okay, this doesn't leave this immediate family." It was a statement she had said many times. She looked at each of the people sitting across from her, a pang of longing rushing through her that Castle wasn't there. But, he's okay. She had to remind herself. He's okay. Everyone muttered their agreement. Beckett took a deep breath.

"I didn't save Castle. At least, not on my own. Last night, there was a girl. She came here. She was carrying Castle. She told me what to do and then she saved him." Beckett glanced at everyone. Esposito and Ryan wasted no time in going all Detective on her.

"Did she give you a name?"

"Can you describe her?"

"Did she look familiar?"

"Have you seen her hanging around?"

"Will both of you shut up and leave the poor woman alone for a minute." Lanie, who had remained silent through everything, finally called out. Both men stared at her then blushed, nodding slightly.

"It's okay, Lanie." Beckett started. "I need this. It's why I called you all here." She turned to the detectives. "Alright, boys. No she didn't give me a name. When I asked she said she was quote 'I'm just a concerned civilian, doing my civic duty.' Yes, I can describe her. No, she didn't look familiar. If she didn't look familiar then how would I have seen her hanging around?" Beckett answered all the questions. The boys nodded.

"I hate to ask, but do you want to sit with a sketch artist?" Ryan asked carefully. Beckett shook her head.

"No need. We can pull video footage from the building." She said. Ryan nodded. "One more thing. When I mentioned the girl to Castle, he said he didn't remember her. He said that he dragged himself the loft and I patched him up." Esposito opened his mouth. Beckett held up a hand. "And before you ask, no he doesn't remember anything. All he knows is he called me when he was twenty minutes away. A black van pulled up and it all went fuzzy."

Esposito looked carefully at Beckett. She caught his look. They both nodded. Esposito spoke the words they were all thinking, but didn't want to hear. They just wanted it to be over.

"The girl's the key."

* * *

Beckett finally said goodbye to everyone and was getting ready to head back to the hospital. She checked her phone from messages from Martha or Alexis, but there was none. They had both gone to Europe with Alexis's mother. Beckett had told them that there was nothing they could do. She now knew even better where Castle got his stubbornness from. Beckett glanced once more at the loft. A glint caught her eye. Beckett walked to the couch and reached down to pick up the paper. There was a piece of metal taped to the back. That way the light would bounce off of it. Beckett was impressed. She carefully unfolded it and scanned her eyes over it.

_Detective Beckett,_

_I know that by now, you realize that Castle_

_has no memory of what happened to him._

_No matter what you do, he will not remember. _

_Only time will help with that._

_I know what happened and who took him,_

_but we both know you already have an idea._

_Your idea is partly true, but it's bigger than _

_you realize. __I also know that you have heard_

_that before. From an enemy. I am not your_

_enemy. I know you want to find me. You will _

_never find me. Don't bother looking. It will just_

_end up hurting you, and everyone you care about. _

_Just forget about me, and focus on being with your_

_fiancé. Ah, who am I kidding? You'll never give up._

_Just know that I warned you. You are getting into _

_something much bigger than even me. _

_I hope you know what you are doing. _

_Signed,_

"_The Girl" _

So do I, "The Girl", she thought. So do I.

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**There you go. Hope you liked. Leave a review to help me out. Thanks again. **


	4. Chapter 4

**So, I guess my stupidity has no bounds. I just saw that on the description says that this takes place after VERITAS. But in reality it takes place after the disastrous For Better or Worse. Oops. My bad. Maybe I'll fix it. Anyway, thanks for all the views! Over a thousand! Here's the fourth chapter. **

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The girl was a shadow. Blending into the darkness around her with ease. It was something she was used to. Being on the run did that to you. She glanced up at the apartment building. The light in the detective's loft was still on. She was reading the note. The girl watched the detective's shadow shake her head through the curtain. The girl smiled to herself. The detective thought she had the girl. She thought she could just call up the video from the hall. She shook her head.

_You'll have to do better than that, Detective. _She thought. _You have no idea who I am._

* * *

"What do you mean there's nothing on the footage?" Beckett slammed her hand down on Ryan's desk. The 12th precinct went quiet. Ryan glanced around and smiled nervously. Esposito came by the desk and slid into his seat.

"Gates. Incoming."

Ryan quickly minimized the video surveillance. Captain Gates opened her office door and hurried to Ryan's desk after noticing Beckett.

"Detective Beckett." Gates greeted her, laying a hand on her shoulder, looking at her sadly in the eye. "I heard that Mr. Castle is in the hospital." Beckett smiled at her.

"Yes, sir. He was shot, but he'll be fine. You know Castle." Gates rolled her eyes.

"Unfortunately." She mumbled. Esposito snickered, covering it with a cough when Beckett shot him the look.

"I just stopped by to see how the boys were doing without me." She said turning back to Gates. "And to tell you the good news."

"Well, Detectives Ryan and Esposito are more than capable of functioning without you and Mr. Castle." It was Beckett's turn to snicker. Gates eyes twinkled but she said nothing. She leaned closer to Beckett. "Listen, Detective, take all the time you need. Focus on getting that fiancé of yours better. Okay?" Beckett smiled gratefully at her.

"Thank you, Captain. It means a lot. I was just headed to the hospital." Gates nodded and headed back to her office.

"Don't tell Mr. Castle I said hi." The entire precinct laughed. Beckett watched Gates door close then rounded on Ryan.

"What do you mean there's nothing on the footage?" she repeated. Ryan maximized the video again.

"I mean there is nothing. All it shows is an empty hallway." He pressed play. "Until the ambulance shows up."

"Back it up." Beckett ordered. She watched the time stamp as Ryan hit play again. "The times right. I don't get it." She ran a hand through her hair. "Did someone tamper with it?" Ryan shook his head.

"There's no evidence that anyone messed with it. No digital fingerprint. Nothing."

"There wasn't any evidence that Tyson messed with our systems when he framed Castle." Esposito spoke up from behind them. Beckett and Ryan turned to face him.

"Because we didn't know what we were looking for." Esposito and Beckett stared blankly at him. "When we figured out that Tyson had been in, Gates had me and tech run sweep after sweep of the system. We looked for anything that wasn't ours. We found something. A fingerprint. With Tyson's name all over it. We went over any other footage that was connected in any way to Tyson. We found the same thing. On all of them. Everyone leaves a finger print." He looked at Beckett. "Except your girl. There's nothing here. No fingerprint. Nothing. She's a ghost." Beckett leaned on the desk. She nodded.

"But who is she? And how do you catch a ghost?"

* * *

Castle was up and on the phone went Beckett entered his room. He was leaning on pillows. His face lite up when he saw Beckett. She knew hers lite up to. Seeing him up made Beckett want to die in relief. Castle held up a finger and talked hurriedly into the phone.

"No, mother, it's fine. I'm fine. Yes. Yes. Alright. Okay. Yes. No. Yes. Mother. It's fine. Just because your flight is delayed doesn't mean I think you don't want to see me. I know you and Alexis were worried. Yes. Yes. Look, mother, Beckett's here. I have to go. I'll call you tonight. Okay. I will. Love you too. And Alexis." He glared at the phone and threw it on the chair next to the bed. Beckett stood by the bed.

"That was….."

"Horrible. Awful. Horrid. Painful. Your choice." Castle said. Beckett laughed.

"I was going to say interesting. And don't horrible and horrid basically mean the same thing?" Beckett asked, taking his hand. He glared at her playfully.

"Who's the writer here? You stick to detectiving and I'll stick to writing."

"Detectiving?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes. It means the art of being a detective. Look it up." He slipped back into being the Castle she loved. The real Castle. She squeezed his hand.

"I missed you." She whispered. He smiled at her warmly.

"Me too." Their eyes connected and stayed that way for a long minute. "Oh!" he yelled, startling her. He smiled shyly. "Oops, sorry. I forgot to tell you. One: my mother said hello. Two: if I'm good tonight I can go home tomorrow!" he said excitedly. Beckett was overjoyed. He could come home. With her. A thought crossed her mind.

"Tomorrow? What is something happens to you? What if you're not better?" she asked worriedly. Castle squeezed her hand. It strengthened her. She knew he would be okay.

"I feel good. Better. I'm going to be fine." He reassured her. But he didn't have to. Nothing would happen to him. She wouldn't let it.

* * *

Beckett walked slowly back to the loft. She had been kicked out of the hospital. Not wanting to leave, she realized that the night nurse was right: Castle wouldn't get better faster just because she was there. She had to take care of herself too. She kicked a rock into the shadows. Something shifted in the darkness. Beckett reached for her gun. She held it up and carefully clicked on her flashlight. She swung both tools around, but saw nothing. She clicked off her light. She walked quickly home, her gun still gripped in her hand.

* * *

The girl released the breath she had been holding, as the detective hurried home. She laughed silently to herself. Startled by a rock. What was wrong with her? He'd laugh if he knew. No. She couldn't think of him. It wasn't worth it. She glanced down the street at the detective's retreating figure.

Still searching for her. Well, maybe the detective deserved some kind of reward for never giving up…

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**So, there it is. I'm pretty sure the identity of the girl will be revealed soon. Thanks for reading. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, here is the next chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

Beckett shook the sketch artist's hand. She held the picture of the girl in her free hand. Esposito came to stand next to her.

"You sure he won't say anything?" she asked quietly as the artist waited for the elevator. Esposito nodded.

"Yeah, he's solid. I served with him." Beckett nodded. "You know, you really have to quit showing up here when you're supposed to be taking some time." He said, looking at her. Beckett grinned.

"You know I've never been one to stay away from work."

Esposito laughed. "Yeah, we know." He nodded to Ryan when he joined them. "But does Gates care?" Beckett thought about that and shrugged.

"Gates will be back any time now though." Ryan informed them. "Did you get the sketch?" he asked Beckett. She nodded and held up the picture.

"I want her."

* * *

"You okay?" Beckett asked him worriedly. Castle nodded.

"Beckett, I'm fine." He walked slowly. For someone who had been "dead" for three weeks, Beckett thought he was moving very well. They reached the elevator and rode in silence up to the loft. "If you don't quit staring at me like I'm going to break." He warned smiling over at Beckett. She dropped her head down.

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried." She said not meeting his eyes. Castle grabbed her hand, waiting on her to look at him.

"Kate, you don't have to worry about me anymore. I'm right here and I don't plan on leaving again." He said, looking at her with so much love in his face. She squeezed his hand.

"Good. Because I won't let you leave again." She said as they stopped in front of the door. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her key. The door swung open. Beckett dropped the duffel bag she was carrying by the door and helped Castle in before closing the door. Castle breathed deeply.

"Ah, home." He said, slowly making his way to the kitchen. Beckett stepped in front of him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, stopping him in his tracks.

"Going to the kitchen. I'm hungry."

"Oh no. You're going to bed." She turned him to the bedroom and made him walk that way. "The doctor said you can come home, but you're stuck with bed rest for a few days."

"I hate bed rest. Unless…" he glanced at her meaningfully. She rolled her eyes.

"God, Castle. You were shot. You need to rest." He sighed dramatically. She helped into bed and covered him.

"You know, I'm not tired." He said. "But I am thirsty." He glanced at her. She laughed.

"I'll get you something to drink." She went to the kitchen. "Castle, I thought you were hungry." She called. No answer. He probably didn't hear her. She grabbed a glass and filled it with water. Beckett carried it back to the bedroom and stopped in the doorway. She smiled. Castle's eyes were closed and he was breathing evenly. He had fallen asleep. Beckett set the water on the table next to him. She thought about taking a nap with him when her phone rang.

She left the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind her. "Beckett." She answered. It was Esposito. "Hey, Javi. You got something?"

"A big something. Can you come to the precinct?" he asked. Beckett glanced at the closed door to the bedroom.

"I just got Castle home. Can you come here?"

"Yeah, I'll get Ryan." He sounded weird.

"Javi, you okay?" Beckett asked. Esposito sighed.

"I wish I was, Beckett. This is big. Really big."

It was Beckett's turn to sigh. "It always is, Espo. It always is."

* * *

"Hey, Espo. Ryan." Beckett held the door open for the boys to come in. Esposito held a file in his hand.

"Beckett." Was all Esposito said. She glanced at Ryan, who shrugged and shook his head. The three went to the living room where Esposito gestured for them to sit.

"What is it, Espo?" Esposito sighed and waved the file.

"So, I took the sketch and used that new software that we got, to run it through any kind of missing persons or anything else. I got a hit before the system shut down." He glanced at Ryan. "Only my system shut down. I knew it had something to do with the girl. I recognized her name, so I ran it through Ryan's system. I only saw part of it before everything was off. Apparently she's classified. Sorry, bro." he said to his partner. Ryan shrugged.

"So who is she?" Beckett asked. Esposito handed her the file.

"Her name is Grace. Grace Rahl." He said. Beckett let the file fall open. She stared at Esposito, who nodded. "The very same." Ryan looked confused.

"Grace was the one who stole all the documents from the government. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution. She even took the Emancipation Proclamation and Bill of Rights." Beckett said as she skimmed the file. She looked up at Esposito. "She's been off the grid for a month. Why would she risk things now? Why would she save Castle? Of all people."

"Your guess is as good as mine." He said. Ryan shifted on the couch.

"I remember her now. She was all over the news. They couldn't find her or the things she stole." He thought a moment. "I'm with Beckett. Why now?" Beckett smiled slightly.

"Well, why don't we just ask her?" Esposito laughed. Beckett glared at him.

"Look, Beckett, I'm all for finding her. I want to know as much as you. But the FBI can't even find her. How are we? She's classified. There's talk that she's even protected somehow. We have no chance." Beckett slumped back, defeated. She knew Esposito was right. They had no chance. But she had to find her. Had to ask her.

"Okay, so maybe we can't find her. But that doesn't mean we give up. We have to try. For Castle." She ran a hand through her hair. "We'll keep it quiet. We'll look only on our free time. Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll come to us." Both boys nodded. They would do anything for Beckett. Beckett only hoped that this would work.

* * *

**So, we all know who the girl is now. She has the same name as the main character in my other story, but it's only because that's my go to name. Totally different person. Hope you liked it. As always, leave a review for me. Thanks. **


	6. Chapter 6

**So wow. I haven't updated in a while. Like a long while. Stupid vacation, and lack of Wi-Fi. Well, here's some more of it. Hope you like it.**

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"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Beckett was buttoning her shirt while worrying about Castle.

"I'll be fine. I feel better. Honest." Castle said. And he _was _getting better. Even Beckett could see it. He was moving more. Only had trouble moving his left arm every now and then.

"I don't have to go back to work." She tried to stall. Castle came over and hugged her.

"Yes you do." He kissed the top of her head. "And now that I can move, they want me to write." He sighed. Beckett laughed and grabbed her jacket.

"Then write." She said. He poured her a cup of coffee.

"I don't know." He thought for a moment, then looked around. "There has to be something else to do." He handed her the cup. Beckett kissed him quickly.

"I gotta go, I'm already late. Do something productive today. Maybe." He looked offended.

"Me? Not productive? Your lack of faith is disturbing." She glared at him. "Go. Go to work. I'll be fine." She laughed.

Beckett paused at the door. "I love you." He grinned.

"I love you, too."

* * *

Beckett paused at the elevator. She wants to feel happy to be back at work. But all she can think is that Castle isn't next to her. Isn't going to meet her here. Isn't going to come in later, set her coffee on the desk, and smile meaningfully at her. She sighed. It was okay, though. He was at home. Getting better. Recovering. Because he was alive. Alive.

The elevator pinged at her floor and she took a deep breath. She _was_ happy. Beckett walked through the bull pen and laid her jacket over the back of her chair. It was so ordinary. She glanced over at his chair. Her breath caught. His chair. For so long after the accident, she couldn't bare to look at his chair, in the rare moments she was in the precinct. It reminded her of everything she lost. Beckett couldn't remember how many times she had stared at him, or he stared at her, in that chair. She fell in love with him in that chair.

"Detective Beckett. I didn't expect you back this soon." Gates' voice brought Beckett back to reality. She smiled quickly at the chair before turning to her Captain. She leaned against the edge of her desk and laughed.

"Well, sir, I couldn't leave everything to Esposito and Ryan." She glanced at the partners engaged in a seriously animated conversation, neither noticing that Beckett came in. "You know they need me." Gates glanced at the boys and shook her head.

"I'll never understand those two." When she turned to face Beckett again, she could see the smile on the Captain's face. The smile faded slightly. "How is our Mr. Castle? By the way." Beckett knew all these questions were coming. She looked at his chair once more.

"He's…better." She settled her eyes on Gates. "The doctors really didn't give me anything. They fixed up his gunshot. He seems to be fine otherwise." Gates looked confused.

"Who would kidnap him and keep him in good health, just to shoot him?" She asked. "And why?" Beckett shrugged.

"I have no idea. And to make it worse, he doesn't remember what happened to him. All he knows is that a black van or SUV pulled up next to him." Beckett stopped before she revealed anything about the girl. Gates could always tell when one of her detectives was hiding something from her, though.

"And you have a lead you don't want to tell me about." Beckett stared. "I understand. If it's about Castle, I understand." Gates leaned in. "Just be safe, Detective. Don't let him lose you, when you just got him back." With that, Gates smiled knowingly and went back to her office. Beckett continued to stare at her Captain's door until Esposito's voice echoed across the bull pen.

"Yo, Beckett! What are you doing here?" he strutted up to her desk with Ryan by his side. She smiled at them.

"Javi, Ryan." She greeted. "Couldn't stay home." She turned to face them. "Have you heard anything?" Esposito and Ryan glanced at each other. Both were used to Beckett's 'straight to the point' approach.

"Yeah, we have nothing." Ryan said uncomfortably. Esposito shifted. Beckett sighed.

"Well, it's not like it was a sure thing." She ran her hand through her hair. "Look, we're not giving up. I want you to stir up anything on her you can." They had agreed not to use Grace's name in public. "And do it quick. Castle will be back soon. He can't keep himself at home for much longer."

"He's already coming back?" Esposito asked. Beckett nodded. "He got shot. It took you three months to get better."

"I was shot in the chest. It hit part of my heart. The bullet didn't hit anything important in him. Plus he wouldn't be doing anything dangerous."

"You know we're talking about Castle, right. He can't stay out of trouble." Ryan nudged Esposito. They all laughed. Beckett could always count on them to make a bad situation better.

"Hey guys, thanks. For everything." Beckett smiled at her partners.

"Anytime, Beckett." Ryan said.

"It's what we do." Esposito said.

Because they were a family.

* * *

Beckett opened the door to the loft. She glanced around the living room and her eyes landed on Castle. He was sprawled out on the couch, his computer open on his lap. The screensaver danced words across the screen. Beckett smiled at her fiancé. She closed his computer and set in on the table before kneeling down beside him.

"Castle." She murmured. His eyes fluttered open and focused on her.

"Beckett, hey." He smiled warmly at her. "How was work?" Castle struggled to sit up.

"Fine. It wasn't the same without you though." She replied, helping him sit. Beckett glanced at his computer. "I see you got a lot done today." She joked.

"For your information, I tried to write. Keyword on tried." Beckett laughed. "But then I fell asleep. Hey, I'm hungry."

"Alright. What do you want?" Beckett asked. "I'll fix you whatever you want. As long as you promise to rest after you eat."

"But I just woke up. I don't want to rest." Castle complained. Beckett shook her head.

"That's not my fault, Castle. Besides you need to rest. And who knows, maybe I'll 'rest' with you." She said, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, you're on."

* * *

**Well, there you are. Hope you liked it. I'll update sooner now. I have a week of wonderful Wi-Fi. As always, leave a review. Thanks. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright, I am trying to make up for my long absence. Here is the next chapter. We have a very important meeting coming up and I hope a few questions are answered. Enjoy.**

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The next two days went the same way. Beckett would get up, say goodbye to Castle, and go to work. She would close easy cases with Ryan and Esposito. But most importantly, there would be no new news on Grace. She had disappeared. Beckett was furious. She wanted information, and Grace was the only one who could give it to her. Castle still had no memory of what happened. Grace knew. She was probably the only person who had any idea.

Beckett sat on the couch. Castle was asleep, but sleep evaded Beckett. A siren wailed below the window. Castle was supposed to start working with her again next week. Everything was going to go back to normal. Beckett sighed and laid her head back against the couch. Her head snapped up when there was a knock on the door. For once in a long time, Beckett did what she was supposed to do. She grabbed her gun off the table and went to the door. She opened it quickly, hiding the gun behind it, and stopped suddenly.

"I heard you wanted to talk to me." The girl said. She smiled and shook her head. "Oh, sorry. I'm Grace. Grace Rahl." Beckett stared, then slowly raised her gun. She cocked it and pointed it at Grace.

"Don't move." She ordered. Grace raised her hands and smiled again.

"Of course, Detective. I know you have questions." Beckett waved her gun, pointing it down the hall.

"Let's go."

* * *

Beckett closed the driver side door and gripped the steering wheel tightly. Grace was in the back, handcuffed and silent.

The drive was silent in the beginning. Beckett managed to hit every red light on the way. She took this time to glance in the rearview mirror. Grace would turn her face at each stop. She looked up and caught Beckett's eye. The light had turned green, and Beckett quickly looked back at the road.

"I have to hide my face from the video surveillance." Grace said in an unasked for explanation, breaking the long and awkward silence. "Just in case you were wondering." She shrugged to herself. "No reason to let them all know where I am."

Beckett was grateful to pull up in front of the precinct. She walked behind Grace, poking her when she needed to turn. Beckett reached the interrogation room without anyone seeing her or Grace, which surprised her. She motioned Grace to a chair, before sitting across from her. Grace sat, folding her cuffed hands in front of her. She smiled up at Beckett.

Detective Kate Beckett stared at the prisoner in front of her. She stared as she had stared at hundreds of prisoners before her, and would stare at hundreds after her. It didn't matter that this girl had saved her fiancé. It didn't matter that she technically didn't do anything wrong to deserve to be stared at. What mattered, was that Detective Beckett had questions. And she would get answers.

"So you're the great, Grace Rahl?" Beckett asked, meaning to demean her. Grace shrugged.

"Is that what they're calling me these days?" she smiled again. Inside, Beckett was seething. She hated when people sat across from her and had those arrogant smiles. If she was honest to herself, she was really angry with the fact that she couldn't read Grace. And that bothered her.

"You're pretty young for a thief." She commented. Grace shrugged.

"And you're too beautiful to be a cop." Grace shot back. "Most cops I deal with are kinda creepy. And definitely not pretty, but you're different." Beckett was shocked, she wasn't very good with compliments, but quickly tried to hide it. Grace noticed. "Don't be upset because you can't read me. No one can. It's one of my best traits." She flipped her hair and laughed quietly to herself.

"Enough." Beckett leaned forward. "What do you know." she was tired of beating around the bush. That wasn't her.

"What do I know?" Grace thought a moment. She shot her hands in the air. "Alright, got it. I know that two plus two equals four. I know that the sky is blue and the grass is green." Beckett slammed her chair back and leaned her hands on the two-way mirror while Grace rattled on random things she knew.

"And I know three things about you." Beckett turned around slowly, interested. Grace smiled at her with that arrogant smile.

"One: you want to know why I saved him.

"Two: you want to know why I saved him." Beckett opened her mouth to say something. "No, you want to know why _I _saved him. Why you couldn't save him.

"And three: you want to know if you owe me." Grace leaned forward. "Detective, you only have a few minutes left with me. So I suggest you ask the questions you really want the answers to." She leaned back.

Beckett picked her chair back up and sat down. Folding her hands in front of her as well. "Fine. Why did you save him?"

"It wasn't his time to die." Was all Grace said. Beckett longed to ask how she knew, but stopped herself.

"Why couldn't I save him." Her voice cracked. Grace looked sympathetic.

"You couldn't save him because you love him. I could because I don't love him." Beckett understood somewhat.

"Do I owe you?"

"No. And even if you did, you would have already paid it back in full." There was something off in her voice. There was a knock at the door. Gates stuck her head in. Beckett still had so many questions.

"Who did it?" she asked quickly. Grace shook her head.

"Maybe next time, Detective." She said sadly.

"Detective Beckett." Gates hissed. Beckett tore her eyes away from Grace and caught the furious eye of her Captain. "Uncuff her now. And get out here." Beckett unlocked the cuffs from Grace, who stood and exited the room behind Beckett. Gates gave her another hard glare before turning to Grace.

"Miss. Rahl, I am so sorry for my Detective's behavior-"she began. Grace raised her hand.

"Please, Victoria. It's fine. No harm no foul." Grace said, smiling at the Captain. Beckett's mind whirled. _Victoria?_ She saw Gates relax at Grace's words.

"Detective Beckett and I will have a long talk about this, I assure you." Gates said, glancing quickly at Grace's eyes then away again. _She's scared of Grace, _Beckett thought.

"No." Grace said firmly. She glanced at Beckett. "I would be very upset if Detective Beckett was punished in anyway. In fact, she should be rewarded. No one, not even the FBI, has been able to bring me in." she leaned in towards Gates. "You have an excellent Detective here." Gates nodded silently.

"Miss. Rahl, one more thing. We can keep this between ourselves, can't we?" Gates asked carefully.

Grace nodded and laughed. "Of course. I don't see any reason to let them in on this adventure." She glanced once more at Beckett before striding to the elevator. She pressed the button to call it and turned. "Oh, and Detective, I did it for you." She let that hang in the air as the elevator doors slid closed in front of her.

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**Well? I just noticed that this was a little short. I'm working on the next chapter now. I got a little caught up with Comic-Con. Then I had to get a friend addicted to Castle. Mission success :) I'll update as soon as I can. Thanks for the reviews. I especially like how some of you have ideas about who Grace really is. Keep leaving your ideas, you never know who could be right. :) Until tomorrow.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So, this chapter looks funny. It's not wanting to let me post, so I did something different. This one is short. It's a little bit of Caskett. Enjoy.**

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Kate Beckett was a hard woman to blind. A hard woman to get around. A very hard woman to impress. And Grace Rahl had done each of those things. And Beckett hated that. The only other person to do that was Castle. That had turned out well, she _was _engaged to him after all. Something told her that Grace was not going to end that well. Speaking of Castle….

Beckett hailed a taxi, gave the driver the address to the loft, and checked her phone. She smiled to herself. 15 missed calls. 47 messages. All from Castle. She ignored them. He'd be mad, she knew that. Expected that. But this was Castle. He was just worried about her. Beckett leaned her head against the back of the seat, enjoying the time to think. To figure out what the hell was going on.

The taxi ride was much too short. And much too long. Beckett shuffled slowly to the elevator. The ride up was too quiet. Too loud. When the elevator pinged at the right floor, she exited, stopping in front of the loft. Beckett sighed. She knew she had to get this over with sooner or later. Steeling herself, she twisted the handle and swung open the door.

"Beckett!" came Castle's greeting. He hobbled over her, much too fast for his condition. His arms were around her in an instant. His chin resting on her head, as she wrapped her arms around him. "Kate." He sighed. "Kate."

"Castle-"she started.

"Shhh. Not now. Just let me hold you." He whispered, his scent surrounding her, and she nodded into his chest.

Later, he would yell at her. But now, all he needed was to hold her. To know that she was here, she was home, she was safe, she was alive.

"Kate." He ran his hands down her arms, carefully pulling her away from him. His hands cupped her face, pulling her lips to his. She leaned into him. Her hands lay folded on his chest. "I'm not mad." He whispered against her mouth. She moaned a response. He smiled and pulled away, only to rest his forehead against hers.

"Castle. I'm so sorry." She stared deep into his eyes. He really _wasn't _mad. His eyes swam with love, understanding, warmth. "I should've called." She shook her head. "I didn't think. I just acted. It was stupid." He silenced her again.

"Kate." He kissed her again, his lips lingering. "It's okay. I just panicked. I woke up and you weren't here. With everything that went on, my mind went a little crazy." He sighed. "I'm just glad you're okay."

This time it was her who kissed him. Her lips pressed hard against his. She wrapped her arms back around him, running them slowly up and down his back. He kissed her back, his hands cupping her face again.

"I love you." She whispered, her lips never leaving his.

"I love you too" he replied.

Always.

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**Told you it was short. Are you mad? You seem mad. Sorry about the length. My mom's in the hospital, so I'm crunched on time. Grace will be coming up, along with a big reveal. I have the perfect idea of where to take this. I hope you all like it too. Thanks for reviews. I like all the wonderings on who Grace is. Keep leaving them. Until tomorrow. **


	9. Chapter 9

**So, here's the next one. Read at the end to see my most humble apologies. **

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Grace's phone rang just as she was exiting the taxi. She checked the time on the dash, as she threw fifty bucks in the driver's lap. It was a huge tip, but, hey, it was the government's money. They could deal with it. She closed the door and slid her thumb over the screen of her phone, smiling as she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Where are they?" the tired voice on the other side asked. Grace's smile widened.

"Ah, right on time, Special Agent." She answered brightly. The woman sighed on the other end.

"Enough, Grace. Aren't you tired of this?" she asked.

In truth, Grace _was_ tired of this. The phone calls every night. The constant reminders of their deal. The checkups. Sometimes she just wanted to give them what she wanted. But, she knew what they would do to her then. And she was not about to admit any of it.

"Nah, Special Agent. How could I live without you harassing me every day? It would mess with the balance of the universe, and we don't want that." Grace shoves her free hand into her jacket while she waits for a reply.

"Fine." The other woman sighs. "Where were you tonight?" Crap.

"What do you mean?" Grace asks innocently.

"Tonight. Where were you? Someone said you were with some cop."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Grace says.

"Come on, Grace. You know I'll find out. I always find out." She pushes.

"Sorry….. You're..eaking..p" Grace answers, making static noises on the phone.

"Grace! No, answer me!" Click. Grace hangs up the phone. She shakes her head and laughs quietly.

Sometimes it was just to easy.

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**Ok, so first things first. I am so sorry. I know this has taken a while for this little bit. And I have more done. I only have wifi every now and then which sucks. My mom just got out of the hospital from her brain surgery, so I have to take care of her. Then school started. It's a nightmare. Please just bare with me. I swear it will get better. On the bright side, less than a month until Castle! :) and Once Upon a Time, if anyone else watches that. Please review, I love it when you do. Until next time.**


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